A Force of Wills: Power Rangers SPD
by LttleDvl
Summary: During an investigation, things go terribly wrong and a Ranger goes missing. Can the other Rangers figure out what's going on and more importantly, can our missing Ranger break free? A capture of a kind you won't be expecting.
1. Chapter 1: Missing

_Author's Note: After some consideration (and a few suggestions ;), I went back and broke this story up into chapters. That way it won't seem quite as overwhelming (I hope) and gives you guys, the poor readers, a break from trying to do the whole thing in one shot. There have only be a few minor changes to a couple of words here and there; nothing that affects the storyline, though. And some punctuation cleanup. _

"Rangers," Cruger faced the assembled B-Squad in the command center, "There have been reports of people missing; children in particular. We don't know who is taking them or for what purpose. I want you all to investigate and find out what is going on."

"Have their parents reported them missing?" Z asked.

Cruger growled low in his throat. "No, these children don't have parents. They're either street kids or those who have vanished from orphanages. That's why it's taken so long for anyone to note their disappearance."

"Why would anyone want to go after street kids?" Syd wondered aloud.

"Probably because they would be harder to trace," Jack spoke, "For the most part, no-one seems to care about street kids."

"I believe that's why whoever is behind their disappearance is targeting them. It's less likely anyone would suspect foul play against those who don't have anyone to look out for them." Cruger responded.

"They do now," Z said quietly.

Cruger just nodded. "Kat's got a rough area mapped out of where the kids have vanished from. I want you to go down there and see what you can find out."

The five Rangers saluted and left the command center.

------------------------

The B-Squad re-grouped in an alleyway after they had split off to talk to several different people. They all wore civilian clothes, after deciding that they probably wouldn't be able to get as much information if they showed up as S.P.D.

"Anything?" Jack asked.

"Nothing," Syd replied, "None of the people I talked to have seen or heard anything."

"Me neither," Z added. She was deeply worried and concerned. Having grown up on the streets herself, she knew that it could be rough at times; but to have someone preying upon the innocent street kids hurt her deeply. _Any one of those kids could have been either me or Jack_, she thought to herself. She glanced briefly at the Red Ranger. He seemed just as concerned as she was.

Jack looked to the Blue and Green Rangers; Bridge shook his head at him, indicating that he didn't have anything either.

Sky spoke up, "I might have a possible lead." The other four rangers looked at him.

"I got some information from a teenage kid that I ran into. It seems that someone has been 'recruiting' kids; going around and telling them that they can have better lives if they came to work for him."

"Him who?" Jack asked.

Sky shook his head slightly. "I don't know. I never got a name. But I did get a location."

"Where?" Bridge asked.

"There's an unused warehouse about ten blocks from here. Apparently 'recruiting' sessions have been happening each Monday night," Sky told them.

"Tomorrow is Monday," Z said.

"Yes, it is," Sky responded.

"I think we have an appointment," Jack said.

------------------------

A small crowd shuffled into the dimly lit room. It was mostly made up of young children between the ages of 10-14, but there were a few who were younger as well as several who were older.

Jack slid into the back amongst a group of young teenagers. He glanced around the room; noting where Z stood with Sky and Syd with Bridge. They had placed themselves strategically near the few exits, on the off chance that something might go wrong.

There was murmured conversations coming from all around the Rangers, but things suddenly got quiet as a man entered near the front of the room.

"Thank you all for coming. I appreciate your being here." He wore a light grey suit and had hazel eyes. Standing at about 6'4", he was slightly thin for his tall frame and had a patch of short, dark black hair. Stepping up onto a small platform, he spoke to the group at large. "While I'd like to be able to help every single one of you; unfortunately, I only have a few openings left," he held up a hand as sounds of disappointment could be heard, "But be assured that what I'm working on will help you all in the end, even if you don't get selected here today."

Jack kept a careful watch on the speaker. _There's just something about him I don't like_, he thought to himself. _He's up to something. And I'd be willing to bet that it ain't going to help anyone but himself._

He glanced briefly towards Z and spotted her looking back at him. She wore the same kind of concerned and suspicious look that he had. _She's thinking the same things I am_, Jack surmised.

"Now, if you'll all just be patient, my assistants will assess you individually." The man spoke as four cloaked figures stepped out of the shadows and moved into the crowd of kids. Occasionally one of them would stop and direct a child towards the front of the room.

_I don't like this one bit_, Jack thought. He glanced around and caught the other Rangers' attention. They all acknowledged him back. He began to make his way forward, when he was suddenly cut off by one of those dark figures. He backed a step away, not liking having one that near to him. The figure turned towards the speaker and shook its head slightly, then moved on.

_What the hell was that about?_ Jack wondered.

His thoughts were interrupted by a high-pitched squeal. "No! I don't wanna go!" a small blonde girl of about 9 years in age cried out.

_That's enough of this_, he thought quickly. He pulled out his morpher. "Everybody stop right there! You're all under arrest!"

Chaos ensued as most of the kids bolted for the doors and the figures dragged kids along with them to the platform.

_Crap!_ Jack mentally cursed. _That's not how I wanted this to go down_. He took off running towards the nearest figure with kids in tow and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other Rangers doing the same thing. He vaguely noted that Bridge had grabbed the little girl who had yelled out, trying to pull her free from one of the cloaked figures.

He tackled the figure, sending it sprawling to the floor. He drew back to land a punch when he saw that it was an Asian girl of about 16. She took advantage of his distraction to kick him off and jumped up to her feet, taking a fighting stance.

Jack peered at her intently. Her eyes seemed fixed and glazed over as she stared him down. _What the hell is going on here?_ he wondered.

The sound of snapping fingers got both his and the girl's attention. She looked at the speaker, nodded briefly and turned, walking away from Jack.

The speaker stepped forward lightly, followed closely by the four cloaked figures. Jack could only see the head of the girl he'd knocked down, the rest were all still shadowed by heavy hoods.

"You have no right to intrude here. We're not doing anything wrong," he addressed the Rangers.

"Bull. What about that girl one of your goons tried to grab?" Z piped up.

"Honest accident. She has already been released."

Jack glanced around and didn't see the girl anywhere. He also didn't see either Bridge or Syd. _They must have taken the girl out with them_, he thought.

"Surely, you of all people can understand what I'm trying to do here," he spoke to Jack and Z, "I'm just trying to help these kids lead better lives."

Jack looked at him suspiciously. He didn't buy it at all, but unfortunately, they no longer had any proof of wrongdoing, so there wasn't much they could do.

"I'm sure you think that," Jack replied, "But we'll be watching you."

"Please do. Then maybe you can be convinced otherwise," he turned and left, trailed by the four others.

Jack shook his head as he turned to face Z and Sky. "C'mon. Let's go meet up with Bridge and Syd."

"Right," Sky replied.

"I don't like this, Jack. Something's just not right here," Z told him.

"I know, Z. But right now, we don't have anything to go on," he responded as they stepped outside.

They walked back around to the alley where they had first assembled to discuss their plan before they had entered the meeting. Jack looked around and spied Syd leaning against the wall of a building.

"Syd. Did you guys get anything worthwhile? How about that girl? Is she still around?" Jack spoke.

"What girl?" Syd asked, perplexed.

Jack looked at her oddly. "The blond girl. The one that cried out? The one that Bridge grabbed?"

Syd shook her head slightly. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Jack. Bridge and I got separated," she looked curiously at her teammates, "Isn't he with you guys?"

Jack became alarmed. "No, I figured you two were still together," he turned to Z and Sky, "What about you two? Did you see anything?"

"No, I was rather occupied at the time," Sky replied.

"Me too," Z said.

"Crap," Jack muttered under his breath. He pulled out his morpher and keyed the communicator. "Bridge, come in."

There was no answer. He tried again. "Bridge, its Jack. Come in." All he and the other Rangers heard was static.

"Now, I'm really not liking this," Z spoke up.

"No kidding," Syd added.

"We have to go back in there and look for him," Sky stated.

"You're right. Let's go," Jack said as he led the other rangers back into the building.

------------------------

Somewhere in the distance, in a small dark room, a man turned off the communicator on a small black and white device.

"You're mine now," he told the struggling figure that was being held down by four others.

"You won't get away with this," Bridge replied through clenched teeth as he continued to fight against his captors.

"I think I already am," the man responded. He seemed to shimmer for a moment as the human façade faded and revealed a tall alien with purple scales. He had two thin long antennae extending upward from the top of his head and mass of short orange hair. His eyes were a dark green color. He reached down and placed a hand under Bridge's chin, tilting his head upwards.

Bridge shuddered slightly as the direct contact overwhelmed his psychic abilities.

"I knew you were strong. You'll make a fine addition to my army," the alien practically purred at him.

Bridge shook his head no as one of the others that held him down grasped his bare right hand.

Bridge cringed and tightly squeezed his eyes shut as he concentrated on fighting against the psychic bombardment.

He could feel himself beginning to lose.

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. No copyright infringement is intended**___


	2. Chapter 2: Under Control

Jack, Syd, Sky and Z sat in the rec room. They had just finished debriefing Commander Cruger about their mission and Bridge's disappearance. He hadn't been very pleased.

Jack sighed and Z looked up at him, knowing what he was thinking. "It's not your fault, Jack. You had no idea what was going on in there. None of us did."

Jack shook his head. "I'm the Red Ranger. That means that I'm supposed to be responsible for the members of my team, looking out for them."

"Yes, but you can't be everywhere at once, Jack, Sky spoke up

"And you can't keep an eye out for us all the time, either. Otherwise we'd never catch any criminals," Syd added.

Z nodded at Sky and Syd's words. "We all know that being a Ranger has its risks. And we've accepted that. The thing we have to focus on now is finding Bridge and bringing him back."

Jack glanced at her briefly, "You're right, Z. Maybe…"

Alarms blared suddenly, cutting Jack off. "Rangers, report to the command center," Kat's voice came through the intercom.

The four Rangers scrambled up and hurried out of the rec room.

------------------------

Anubis "Doggie" Cruger paced behind the command console and Kat worked at the controls as the Rangers stepped in.

"Sir, reporting as ordered," Jack saluted briefly.

Commander Cruger stopped pacing and turned to face them. "Rangers. We've just received a report of a bank robbery downtown," he stepped down from the center dais and stood directly in front of his team, "The report states that the robbery was conducted by a group of children."

"What?" Sky asked in disbelief.

"My thoughts exactly," Cruger replied, "I want you all to go down there and question the witnesses. Report back here when you're through."

"Yes, sir," They replied in unison, then turned and left the command center.

Kat looked up at Cruger, shaking her head slightly, "Why would anyone use children to rob a bank? It just doesn't make any sense."

"That's what I'm planning to find out," Cruger replied.

------------------------

As Jack continued to question the bank manager, Sky, Syd and Z became ever more perplexed.

Syd glanced briefly at Sky who shook his head at her in response.

Jack folded his arms across his chest, "So you think there were about a dozen of them."

"Yes, that's right. At first I thought it was a school group of some kind, but then all kinds of weird things started happening," the short, slightly balding man replied.

"Things like what?" Syd asked.

"Well, for one, no one in the bank could move," he stated.

"You mean they told you all not to move?" Z said.

"No, I mean it was physically impossible for any of us to move an inch. Like we were stuck in place or something; it was the oddest sensation," he shuddered slightly.

"And they were able to rob the bank how exactly?" Sky prompted.

"I'm not sure how they did that either. But they just…floated the bags of money out," he told them.

"By 'floated' you mean…?" Syd said.

"I mean it was like they were carried out on thin air. From what I know, no one saw any kind of device being used at all. It was so strange," he stated.

"Can you describe what any of these kids look like at all?" Jack asked.

"A few. They were so many that I didn't get a clear look at all of them," Jack shook his head at the man's reply.

"Alright. We'll send down a few cadets to take down the descriptions. I'm sure some of your staff and the patrons here can describe what the different kids looked like. Hopefully we'll get a composite of each of them."

The bank manager nodded as the Rangers started to turn away.

"Oh, wait. There's something I almost forgot to tell you," his voice re-claimed their attention.

The Rangers turned towards him slightly.

"As they were nearly done, five others came in. It almost seemed as if they were directing the kids," he stated.

"Five other kids?" Z asked.

"No, these ones were older," he responded.

Jack turned to face him fully, "How much older? What did they look like?"

"I don't know," he shook his head in response, "They all wore black clothing that covered them completely and had on some kind of masks. I couldn't see any part of them at all."

"Then how do you know they were older?" Syd asked.

"Because they were taller," he replied.

"Okay, then," Jack replied, "We'll see what we can find out and get back with you. Don't worry, we'll find the money and return it."

"Thank you so much, Rangers," he replied as the Rangers turned once again and left the building. They stopped just outside the door.

"Taller, huh?" Z wondered aloud.

"Yeah, exactly how much taller?" Sky responded.

Jack waved a dismissive hand at them, "Don't sweat it. We'll get those cadets down here and get a full description from everyone."

He pulled out his morpher and began to key the communicator when it went off in his hand, startling him slightly.

"Jack, here," he spoke.

"Jack, there's just been another break-in. It's at a bank seven blocks from where you are now. It's still in progress," Kat's voice came through.

"On our way," Jack replied as the Rangers headed for the patrol jeep.

------------------------

The Rangers pulled up in front of the Newtech City First Alliance Bank to see bags of money floating out of the open doors.

Jack and the others got out and began to approach cautiously.

A group of about a dozen kids followed the bags out.

"Hey!" Jack yelled.

The kids all stopped in the same instant and turned to look at the Rangers in unison.

Z arched her eyebrows, "Okay, that was just way too eerie."

"No kidding," Sky added.

"What do we do next?" Syd asked.

Jack shook his head, "I don't know. But we have to stop them from robbing that bank."

"You don't seriously expect us to arrest a bunch of kids, do you?" Z stated.

Jack turned to look at her slightly, "What else are we going to do?" he glanced briefly at Sky.

"Hey, don't look at me," the Blue Ranger replied, shaking his head, "This isn't covered in the handbook."

"What about those other ones? The ones that the last bank manager said seemed like they were controlling the kids?" Syd spoke up.

As if on cue, five figures stepped out of the bank from behind the gang of kids. They turned as one to look at the Rangers. They wore jet black clothing that covered them completely from head to toe and some sort of ski mask. The only things visible were their eyes.

"And that," Z said, pointing, "is even more freaky."

"You said it," Jack replied.

The kids all turned to look at the five figures. One of them jerked their head slightly int response and the kids all turned back around and continued to follow the bags of money away. The five black-clad figures turned to face the Rangers, taking up fighting stances as they did so.

Jack took a step back to stand with the others, "Now, them; I think we can arrest. Rangers?"

"Right!" they charged forward, each of them taking on one of the figures.

Jack closed in with what he assumed was the leader and began to swing and kick his way around the other, but somehow wasn't landing any hits.

After exchanging a flurry of blows, Jack backed away briefly; his opponent did the same.

"Man, you're pretty good. But you're still going down," Jack stated.

The black-clothed figure didn't respond, just stood there and waited for Jack to make his next move.

The Red Ranger charged again, this time trying to take out the legs of his opponent with a roundhouse kick.

His rival easily dodge Jack's maneuver, reaching out and grasping Jack's wrist, twisting him over backwards.

Jack turned himself back around, but no sooner than he'd gotten himself righted, his foe lunged forward, using his momentum to swing Jack up and over; landing the Red Ranger on the flat of his back.

Jack sucked in air as the wind was briefly knocked out of him and he scrambled to his feet, coming to a ready stance.

Just standing there, Jack's foe didn't move at all, just waited for him again.

_What the heck is going on here?_ Jack wondered. He looked over his opponent, trying to size him up. At this point, Jack was able to hazard a guess that his rival was male and of a slightly smaller build than himself. _Whoever this guy is, he's quick,_ Jack thought to himself.

As he stood there, staring his foe down, something began to nag at Jack. There was an odd familiarity to his opponent's fighting style. _Maybe it's something I've studied before? _Jack wondered. _And that move he pulled on me? Where did he get that from? Why does it seem like I know that one?_

Jack stood facing his opponent as the other Rangers finally took down their own rivals. Jack saw Syd, Z and Sky come up from behind him and circle around his foe.

"Do you need a hand, Jack?" Sky asked as he got into a fighting position.

"No, that's not it," Jack replied, not looking away from the figure before him, "There's something really strange going on here."

"Yah, you're getting your butt kicked," Z responded.

Jack just groaned slightly at Z's quip and watched as the other Rangers began to close in on the black-clad male.

Jack stared intently at him for a few more seconds as he noted his eyes. Eyes that were fixed and slightly glazed over. A set of pale blue eyes.

Jack was suddenly struck with a horrible thought. "No, wait!" he yelled at the other Rangers.

They all stopped and looked at him oddly.

Without warning, Jack rushed the figure, tackling him to the ground. Before he could be kicked off, Jack managed to grab the top of the ski mask and pull it off.

Jack rolled back up to his feet, mask in hand, turning to face his opponent as he heard the other Rangers gasp in surprise.

"Oh my god," Jack heard Z exclaim.

He looked up to see Bridge standing before them all.

"Whoa," Sky spoke up. He took a step forward, "Bridge, what are you…"

The Blue Ranger didn't get any further as Bridge swung his leg out, catching Sky's legs and sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Hey!" Syd yelled out.

"Stop!" Jack spread his arms out in the other Rangers' direction, "He's being controlled. Can't you see that? Just like the rest of them, I'll bet."

As Jack finished speaking, the other four black clad figures took up positions behind Bridge.

"And apparently he's their leader," Z stated.

"How the hell did this happen?" Sky asked as he got back to his feet.

"I don't know," Jack replied, never once taking his eyes off Bridge. He took one step towards the Green Ranger, who instantly backed into a fighting stance; the others behind him doing the same.

Jack held out his hands, "I'm not going to fight you, Bridge. You have to let us help you," he glanced at the other four, "All of you," he turned back to Bridge, "You can fight this, man. I know you can."

Bridge glanced briefly at his teammates, who just nodded slightly at him in return. He slowly relaxed and dropped his defensive position.

"See, I told you…" Jack started but realized suddenly that he couldn't move a muscle. "Uh, guys? Can you move?"

Jack could see Sky had his face contorted with effort, "Nope."

"Me either," Syd replied.

"How are they doing that?" Z asked aloud.

"No clue," Jack responded.

The Rangers watched as the four figures and Bridge calmly walked past them; Bridge stopping briefly to collect the mask that Jack had pulled off of him.

Jack looked into his eyes for a moment as Bridge straightened back up. "Don't do this, Bridge. Don't let them control you. Fight it!"

Bridge said nothing as he walked away; he and the others followed the path the kids and the stolen money had taken.

After a few moments had passed, the Rangers found that they could suddenly move again. Sky nearly fell forward, catching himself just in time.

They all looked at each other worriedly.

"Now what are we going to do?" Syd wondered.

"No idea, Syd. No idea at all," Jack replied.

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. No copyright infringement is intended**___


	3. Chapter 3: Help is Needed

"This is not good news," Cruger stated as he paced around the command center. "The idea that someone would control children to conduct criminal activities bothers me," he stopped briefly, "And Bridge as well? How is this possible?"

Kat shook her head at him, "I don't know what to tell you, Doggie. It's possible that someone could do it, provided they had the right kind of technology, but I wasn't able to detect the presence of any kind of device or energy patterns. I have no idea of how it's being done."

"Plus, Bridge is psychic. You'd think he'd be able to fight something like that," Syd spoke up as Z and Sky nodded.

Jack stood up a little straighter as he got an idea, "Unless that's how it's being done."

"What?" Sky asked.

Jack glanced at the Blue Ranger, "Just like Syd said. Bridge is psychic," he turned to look at Cruger and Kat, "What if he's being controlled that way?"

"Hmm," Kat looked lost in thought for a moment, "It's possible I suppose," she glanced at the Rangers, "But I don't know if I can come up with a way to combat that. Your genetic abilities are not something I'm sure can be interfered with by technology," she looked up at Cruger, "I might have an idea, but I'm going to have to research it further."

"Do it. Whatever it takes, Kat. We have to free Bridge and those other kids from whatever hold they've had placed on them," Cruger replied.

She nodded briefly and departed from the command center. Cruger turned back to the Rangers, "In the meantime, we have to find a way to put an end to these bank robberies."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Jack asked, We can't even get near them."

"Especially if they pull that 'freezing' trick again," Syd added.

"I wish I had an easy answer for you all. But we can't stand by and do nothing. Keep alert for any further activity. If anything happens, I want you all to respond immediately; don't bother to check in with me first."

"Understood," Sky spoke up.

"Sir?" Z asked quietly.

"Yes, Z?" Cruger replied.

"You don't want us to really fight them, do you? I mean, they're being controlled after all. They're innocent," she stated.

Cruger sighed heavily, "I know, Z. Unfortunately, I don't know what to tell you. I don't like the idea of having to take down a group of innocent people either, but we can't allow anyone else to be hurt in the process."

He glanced briefly at each of the Rangers, "Just use your instincts. Do what seems right at the time. That's all I can say."

The Rangers shared a quick look with each other, then turned and left the command center.

As they emerged into the hall, Syd spoke up, "What do you guys think? What should we do?"

Jack shook his head in dismay, not having an answer for her.

"I'm not sure there is much we can do," Z answered, "How are we supposed to help Bridge and the others if we can't get through to them?"

Sky nodded in agreement, "Yah, Bridge is pretty strong, psychically speaking. That's probably why he's their leader. It wouldn't surprise me if he's the strongest of the bunch."

Jack came to a halt as an idea came to him.

The other Rangers stopped in their tracks to glance at him.

"Jack?" Z asked.

"I think Sky may have just hit on something there," he looked at his teammates, "I might have an idea."

------------------------

The purple scaled alien watched in delight as several more bags of money joined the pile he already had amassed.

"Excellent!" his long, thin antennae quivered slightly as he rubbed his hands together in glee, "No one can stop me now."

He turned to look at the team of teenagers he'd assembled. He frowned slightly as he noted that the leader of the group was un-masked. He quickly stepped up to them.

"What happened?" he asked, turning to look intently at the shorter figure that stood just to the left of the Green Ranger.

The alien nodded his head slightly after a moment. "I see. So they know already. That's not a problem," he looked deeply into the eyes of his team's leader.

"But this is," he smirked faintly at Bridge, "I can feel you, you know. Trying to fight me. But you're not strong enough. Especially when I have willing help."

The other four grabbed Bridge; one to either side of him slipped his gloves off and they grasped his hands firmly.

The alien took a step closer and traced a scaled finger along the side of Bridge's face. He could feel the human shudder faintly.

"I think it's time we strengthened those bonds," he said as he leaned in closer to Bridge.

------------------------

The four rangers pulled up to the site of the latest bank robbery. Once again, they had arrived just in time to see the stolen money drifting out of the building.

The group of children followed in the bags' wakes; trailed closely by the five black-clad figures.

"Hey!" Jack yelled out, "Remember us?"

The five stopped and turned as the smaller kids kept going, taking up fighting stances.

The Rangers waited a few moments until the youngsters were gone from sight.

"Now!" Jack shouted.

Sky hurled something at the feet of the team of five and it exploded in a burst of bright light and a huge boom.

Jack and the other Rangers immediately rushed in as soon as the flash grenade had gone off, each of them tackling one of the figures as Jack made a beeline for Bridge.

They had been caught-off guard enough that the Rangers were able to take them down easily.

Jack managed to twist himself around behind Bridge as he was disoriented and struck him on the back of the head. The body of the Green Ranger crumpled to the ground as he was knocked out cold.

Jack stepped over the unconscious form of Bridge to face the other four as they scrambled to their feet; the other Rangers coming in to line up beside Jack.

"Think you can still take us now?" Jack asked.

The four briefly glanced at each other then turned to stare at the rangers.

Jack felt an odd tingle on the surface of his skin and a slight resistance to his movements, but nothing more.

"I thought as much. You're not as strong without Bridge to back you up, are you?" the Red Ranger stated.

The four black-clad team members glanced at each other briefly, then slowly turned and walked away, headed down a nearby alley after the kids and the stolen money.

Jack let out a sigh of relief and turned to look at his friend lying motionless on the ground.

"We'd better get him back to headquarters quickly, before he wakes up," Sky stated.

"I agree. Let's go," Jack replied.

------------------------

"He's starting to come around," a voice stated.

"Get out of there, doctor. We don't know if he's still being controlled or not," Cruger spoke.

Cruger, Dr. Felix and the Rangers watched as Bridge got slowly to his feet. He glanced about his surroundings and fixed his gaze on the group of people that stood just on the other side of the cell bars.

Jack shook his head as he saw the fixed glaze in Bridge's eyes, "He is."

Sky looked at him briefly, furrowing his brow questioningly.

"Look at his eyes. See? They're glazed over like. That's how you can tell," Jack stated.

"So the lights are on, but nobody's home, eh?" Z stated.

Sky shot her an icy glare, "That's really not funny."

"I agree," Cruger spoke up, "This is no time for jokes." He stepped forward a bit and peered intently at Bridge.

"Bridge, I don't know if you can hear me or not, but rest assured we're going to find a way to fix this. Just hang in there," the commander spoke.

Bridge said nothing in reply; just stood unmoving in the center of the small cell.

Syd shook her head a bit, "I can't bear to stand here and see him like that."

"Me neither," Z added, "It's just too…"

"Unnerving," Sky finished her sentence.

"I can't say that I disagree," Cruger spoke up. He turned back around to face Felix, "Doctor, keep working. See if you can come up with anything that might help Bridge."

Dr. Felix nodded as Kat joined the group. "I think I might have something," she came to stand next to Z and peeked in briefly at Bridge, "But she won't be here for about another hour yet."

"She?" Sky asked.

"I called up a contact of mine who thinks she might know what's really going on. But we have to wait for her to get here first," Kat replied.

Cruger sighed, "I'm sure we can all find something to occupy our time while we wait."

The group began to disassemble, except for Jack who remained standing in front of Bridge's cell. "Sir?" he glanced briefly at Cruger.

"Yes, Jack?" the Sirian replied.

"I think I'd like to stay here for a bit," the Red Ranger said as he turned his attention back to his friend.

"Go right ahead," The commander responded. He and the others headed up the corridor.

Jack watched them go out of the corner of his eye; after they'd turned out of the corridor, he sat down on the floor, crossing his legs underneath him.

"Bridge, I know you can be a bit odd at times and I think that you talk entirely too much during the rest, but I never thought I'd see you like this. I have to say the silent treatment doesn't suit you." He gazed intently at his friend who didn't acknowledge Jack's words in any way.

Jack sighed and shook his head lightly, "I know you're there. I know you can fight this. You just have to try."

Still, he got nothing from the Green Ranger.

"All right then, if you don't mind I'm just going to sit here for a while," Jack spoke.

------------------------

After fidgeting about aimlessly, Syd decided that she couldn't take it anymore. She headed down to the containment sector, passing Jack as she stepped off the elevator.

"Syd?" Jack asked in surprise. "I thought you…"

"Yah, I know. But I can't stand the thought of my friend being locked up like that. I have to see him, at least for a bit," she replied.

"I know what you mean," Jack looked at her with understanding in his eyes, "But don't expect to get anything out of him."

"Still…" Syd began.

Jack placed a reassuring hand briefly on her shoulder, "It'll be okay Syd. We'll bring him back to us."

She nodded and headed towards the cell blocks as Jack stepped into the elevator. _I sure hope we can_, he thought worriedly.

Syd continued down the corridor, coming to a stop in front of Bridge's cell. He was no longer standing in the center of the room; he had finally claimed the bench that ran along the back wall.

"Well, that's a little better," Syd mumbled quietly.

She stepped up to the cell bars. "Bridge?" she called lightly.

He stared back at her blankly.

"Oh, Bridge. What are we gonna do? I can't stand to see you like that. Isn't there something we can do to help?" she spoke more to herself rather than to her friend.

Bridge blinked briefly at her and bowed his head slightly.

Syd was surprised and a little eager at his reaction, "Bridgey?"

He looked back up at her, "I…" he croaked vaguely.

"Bridge!" Syd grew ecstatic, "I knew you were still in there somewhere!"

He shook his head slightly and spoke in a broken voice, "I…can't…" he looked intently at the Pink Ranger, eyes still glazed over, "Help…me…please?" he dropped his head back down.

"Bridge!" Syd called out as she quickly keyed the cell access code.

As soon as the bars retracted, Syd stepped into the cell and crossed over to Bridge, resting her hand on his shoulder as she reached him.

Bridge snapped his head up and Syd saw the most terrifying thing she'd ever seen reflected in his eyes.

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. No copyright infringement is intended**___


	4. Chapter 4: Strength of Mind

Cruger, Kat and the other two rangers stood around the command console. "Have there been any other reports of break-ins?" Cruger asked.

"Not since Bridge was brought in," Kat replied.

Sky nodded his head, "That's what Jack rather figured. Since Bridge is the strongest, who's ever been controlling him had Bridge using his powers to affect the others."

"When I get my hands on that guy…" Z began.

"Petty revenge is not what S.P.D. is about Cadet Delgado," Cruger spoke up. As she started to apologize, he stopped her. "But I can understand your feelings. I don't like the idea of anyone messing with my Rangers any more than the rest of you do."

The command center door slid open and Jack stepped in. "Guys, what's up?"

"Nothing much," Sky responded.

"We're just waiting., Z added.

Jack smirked slightly, "Waiting for what?"

"Anything at this point," Sky replied.

"My contact should be here shortly," Kat spoke, "In fact…" she glanced at the console before her then jerked her head back up to stare at Cruger, "Commander?"

He had noticed the red sensor blinking at the same time she had. He knew something was horribly wrong.

Z, Sky and Jack looked worriedly between the two of them.

"Sir, what's going on?" Sky asked.

Cruger waved for them to follow as he rushed for the door. "I set the sensors to alert us if anyone opened Bridge's cell. It just went off."

"Syd!" Jack blurted out, "She's down there!"

The Rangers didn't need to hear anything else as they followed hot on the Sirian's heels.

------------------------

Syd struggled against Bridge's grip, but he had too firm of a hold on her. _I never realized exactly how strong Bridge is_, she thought to herself fleetingly.

From behind, he had wrapped his left arm about her waist and had grabbed her neck with his right hand, just under her chin. He started shoving her bodily towards the cell door as she continued to try to fight him.

Using both hands, she tried in vain to pry his fingers from her throat, but wasn't having much success.

As they reached the hall, Syd heard rapid footfalls approaching. She glanced quickly down the corridor, spotting Cruger and the other Rangers as they rounded the corner and came up short.

"Syd!" Z cried out her friend's name.

The Rangers started to surge forward, but Cruger threw out both of his arms, stopping them.

"Wait just a moment." He calmly took a few steps forward as Bridge spun himself and Syd around to face them all.

"Bridge," Cruger spoke to the Green Ranger, "I know you don't want to hurt Syd. Let her go."

"Bridge, please," Z added.

Syd felt him quiver slightly and his hand relaxed the tiniest of fractions. Syd peered down quickly and saw that his sleeve had slid back, exposing part of his wrist. She was hit with a sudden idea.

She let go of his fingers and instead grabbed his wrist at the exposed skin, sliding her hand up towards his palm, partly moving his glove upward.

Bridge shuddered violently and dropped to one knee, releasing Syd as he did so. She took advantage of her freedom to pull the glove completely off, fully grasping his bare hand in both of hers, sending him further to the ground, head hanging down.

Cruger and the other Rangers rushed forward, not sure of what had just happened.

"Syd?" Sky asked.

"Hush, Sky. Not now," she replied, "Bridge?" she called softly.

He drew in a large breath, "Syd…don't...let…go."

He slowly raised his head back up to look at his friends through what he could only call a foggy haze. He felt all kinds of things battering at his senses; the only one he tried to cling to was the bright bubbly sensation that came from nearby.

Cruger squatted down and looked intently at Bridge. His eyes were still glazed over a bit and he seemed to be having a hard time focusing on anything.

"Bridge, what can we do to help you?" the commander asked.

Bridge shook his head rapidly, "I…." he squinted his eyes shut briefly as he felt a surge of blackness attempt to overwhelm him. He gripped Syd's hand tighter and it subsided a bit. He re-opened his eyes to look at Cruger, "I don't…know," he stammered, "I'm not sure…how much…longer…I can…hold on," he panted out.

"I may be able to help with that," a soft musical voice spoke from behind Cruger and the other rangers.

They turned to see Kat accompanied by a tall, thin alien woman with purplish-blue scales and a set of thin antenna rising up from the top of her head. Her eyes were a bright green color and her hair was a light fiery red.

She stepped forward lightly as Bridge glanced up at her. He started to back away from her, but she spoke softly to him.

"I'm not what you think I am. I'm here to help you. Try to relax," crouching down, she reached out to gently collect Bridge's face in her hands.

Bridge closed his eyes as he shook all over and released Syd's hand. The alien woman slowly closed her eyes and they remained frozen in that position for several minutes.

Jack turned to look at Kat, "What the heck is…?"

"She's my contact. She arrived just as the sensor alarm went off. I went out to meet her and rushed her here. She's an Andiloran. They're a race of very powerful psychic beings," Kat explained.

"Yes, we are," the alien woman spoke as she re-opened her eyes, "And someone has not been doing well by our name either." She released Bridge from her grasp and he sagged to the floor; head down, breathing heavily.

Syd squatted down next to him, resting a hand on his back. Z came up to kneel next to them both.

"I'm Cordova," the tall alien turned to Cruger, "Dr. Manx contacted me about what was going on and I immediately began to suspect foul play by one of my kind. There's not much besides one of us that can affect the psychic abilities of others," she glanced briefly in Bridge's direction, "Especially not one as strong as he is."

"Not strong enough," came the muffled reply. Bridge raised his head up slowly and blinked a few times, trying to regain focus.

"Bridge? Are you okay?" Z asked.

"Yah, I think so," he replied as he staggered to his feet. He swayed a bit as he placed a hand on the side of his head, wincing. "Except for this horrible headache," he added as Z and Syd steadied him from either side.

"Here," Cordova turned back around to him and gently placed one finger on his forehead. Bridge closed his eyes and sighed in relief. "That should take care of it," she said as she withdrew her finger.

Bridge reopened his eyes, "Thanks."

"So what should we do now?" Sky asked.

"We need to locate whoever's behind this and free the others from his control," Cruger spoke.

"I can help with that," Bridge piped up, "I know where he's at."

"Good," Jack replied, "Then we can go in and arrest him…"

"Jack, I don't think it will be that simple," Bridge cut him off, "He's still got all those other kids and he'll have no problem making them fight for him."

Cruger growled slightly, "We need a way to get in there without arousing his suspicions."

"I could always go back," Bridge suggested.

"No!" Z spoke out, "We just got you back. And you could wind up in his clutches again."

"Actually, that's not possible anymore," Cordova said glancing around at them at all, "I've placed a psychic block on Bridge. He can't be controlled again," she focused her gaze on Bridge, "But you can't go back either. Just as the block prevents him from tampering with you any further, it's also cut the link he had with you. By now, he already knows what's happened."

She turned to face Commander Cruger, "If I were to accompany your Rangers to his location, I can interfere with his control over the others, possibly even free them completely. I believe this is the only way you're likely to get him."

Cruger nodded slightly, "Alright. I'll go as well. If what you said is true about him knowing that Bridge is no longer in his grasp, he's probably already working to make his escape before we can get to him. We have to act quickly."

He glanced at the Rangers, "Let's move out."

------------------------

The Rangers, Cruger and Cordova quietly approached the building that Bridge had directed them to. Cruger signaled to the Rangers to move in as he leaned towards Cordova. "Stick close to me, if things get out of hand, I don't want you caught in the crossfire."

She glimpsed at him faintly, "Commander, if there is a bunch of innocent children in there, I hope there won't be any crossfire."

"I hope that as well, but we really have no idea of who we're dealing with here."

"I can hazard a guess," she mumbled softly under her breath.

Cruger caught her comment, but decided to let it go.

He looked up to see Jack give him the signal. "The Rangers are in position, let's go," he told her.

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. No copyright infringement is intended**___


	5. Chapter 5: Freedom

The alien male moved as quickly as he could. He had felt the Ranger beginning to slip from his grasp and had to fight hard to attempt to bring him back under control. He'd nearly had him when he was suddenly cut off by another force. Though he retried to reach the ranger, he couldn't get anywhere. He kept bumping into a psychic wall.

Ever since that moment, he knew what had happened and how. He knew it would only be a matter of time before the Rangers and his new adversary came for him. He was desperately packing his stolen money to make a quick getaway when he heard the loud crash of a door being kicked open.

"S.P.D.! You're under arrest," a booming voice cried out.

He turned around slowly to see the five Rangers and their commanding officer standing just inside the room. They all had their weapons pointed at him. He glanced briefly at the Green Ranger. _What a shame_, he thought, _all that hard work; lost. And he had such great potential too. Oh well, I'll find another someday_.

"No; you won't," a familiar feminine voice rang out from behind the Sirian.

Cordova stepped around from behind Cruger and faced down the other Andiloran, "It's time you came back with me."

"I don't think so. You're never going to take me back." He signaled and four teenagers stepped out from the shadows. They still wore their black garb but had their masks off. Jack recognized the girl that he had tackled the night when they had busted in on the meeting.

Sky groaned slightly, "Here we go again."

"Not this time," Cordova spoke. She raised a hand and the four stopped. They seemed unable to advance any further. She lowered her hand and approached the male alien. "As I said, you're coming with me and your games are over."

"Why are you doing this?!" he practically shouted at her, "You know we're so much better than these people. Just look at us and the things we can do! We deserve to be in control of them, not hiding out from them!"

Cordova shook her head slightly at him, "Because it's wrong to force other people to do your bidding. They deserve free will."

He sneered at her, "You're such a goody-goody aren't you? When are you going to get it through your scaly head that we deserve to be free too?"

"We are; just because it doesn't fit with your idea of freedom, it doesn't give you the right to enslave others," she replied.

He suddenly lunged for her, but she deftly dodged out of the way. It was enough of a distraction that the four teenagers were able to break free from her grasp. They charged straight for the rangers.

"Oh no," Syd spoke up.

"Be careful, Rangers. Remember those are innocent people. Don't hurt them," Cruger stated.

They each went for a Ranger, the teenage girl going for Jack and Bridge at the same time.

Sky could be heard muttering under his breath, "Yah, right, and how are we supposed to do that and not get our butts kicked in the process?"

Jack expertly blocked a swing that girl aimed at his head. He then was able to successfully block a kick as well. _Maybe this won't be so hard after all_, he thought. He spied Bridge standing off to one side, looking lost in concentration. _What is he doing?_ Jack wondered.

Jack turned his attention back to his opponent and continued to block punches and kicks, when suddenly she stopped cold. She stood completely still for a moment, blinked her eyes rapidly, then sank to sit on the floor, head hanging down.

_What the…?_ Jack's thought was cut off as he saw Bridge standing behind the girl holding out his ungloved hand. He blinked at the Green Ranger, "Bridge? What did you just do?"

"No time to explain," the Green Ranger replied as he darted off towards Z and her opponent. Jack watched as he approached the boy from behind, quickly wrapped his hand around to the other's forehead and briefly closed his eyes. Z's opponent repeated the very same actions that Jack's had.

Bridge moved on to Sky's foe and began again as Z looked questioningly at Jack, who only shrugged in return.

By this time, Sky's rival was down and Bridge had moved onto Syd's. After a moment, that girl also fell to the floor.

Bridge shook his head and blinked, "Boy, that can sure make a person tired," he staggered slightly, Syd coming up from behind to lend him a hand.

The other Rangers gathered around him, looking confused and concerned.

"Bridge, what the heck did you just do?" Sky asked.

"I broke their bonds. Just like Cordova showed me how to," he turned and looked in her direction.

Cruger had the male alien's arms behind his back as Cordova had both her hands placed against the side of his head. He squirmed in the commander's grasp, but wasn't able to get loose.

After another long moment, he shook slightly and she released him. He passed out into the Sirian's arms. Cordova wobbled slightly.

The Rangers came up to them as Cruger laid the alien on the ground. Bridge placed a hand on Cordova, "You okay?"

She looked up at him, "Yes, thank you. You were able to free the others?"

Bridge nodded at her.

"Wait, am I the only one that's lost here?" Z spoke up.

Cruger chuckled lightly, "That's what you call psychic embattlement. It doesn't seem like there's very much going on to any bystanders, though those involved will certainly tell you otherwise."

"I'll say," Bridge piped up.

"What?" Sky asked, perplexed, "I've never heard of _that_."

Cordova looked at the Blue Ranger, "It's very rare now days. It's not often when you have two psychics together that are strong enough to do it."

"And from what I've heard about it, that's a good thing," Cruger added.

"What do you mean, sir?" Jack wondered.

Cordova gazed at him and the other Rangers, "Years ago in my planet's history, psychic wars raged all the time. People were taking sides against one another and factions began to emerge. My planet delved into a civil war that lasted for a hundred years. As more of my people died, the leaders of the factions decided they needed more troops, but didn't know where they were going to get them."

She sighed as she continued, "It was then when one of the leading scientists discovered that our psychic abilities could influence others. They were able to get only a modest control over those who didn't have any powers themselves, but were able to completely take over anyone who had the least amount of psychic potential."

She glanced briefly at Bridge, "People like your friend Bridge here were actively sought out and taken against their wills. Many suffered and died at the hands of my people. After the war was finally over, the leaders recognized the gravity of the ills they had pressed upon other worlds and vowed to never let that happen again."

She looked at them each in turn, "Ever since then, we have chosen to isolate ourselves from the rest of the galaxy. We haven't withdrawn completely, however. We still keep up on current events and as you've already seen, we do maintain contact with others outside of our planet. Every single one of us, down to our infants carries these powers. Some of us are able to contain it so that it doesn't accidentally affect others, but most are not capable of doing so."

"Hence, our self-imposed isolation. We don't want anyone else to ever come to harm because of our powers ever again. There are a few among us however, that feel differently," she gestured briefly at the alien still lying unconscious on the floor, "There are a few like him who think we should rule over everyone else and wouldn't mind if we caused another galactic war in the process."

She looked down at him briefly, "This one's been incarcerated before because he went off world and took over other people. He recently escaped and we had no idea of where he'd gone to. When I received Kat's message of what was happening here on Earth, I figured it had to be him behind it all."

"So, wait a second," Jack cut in, "If he's supposed to be some kind of demented rebel, why come here and steal a bunch of money? Wouldn't he be off trying to start a war, or collect troops or…" Jack stopped himself as he realized what he just said.

"Yes, exactly," she responded to Jack's unfinished statement, "He was attempting to do precisely that."

Sounds of shuffling footsteps could be heard as they all turned to see about a dozen or so kids emerge from a door at the back of the room. They blinked owlishly at the assembled adults.

"Why kids?" Z asked, "Not what I'd call ready troops."

Cordova turned towards the children and directed them to line along the wall, "Not as of this moment, no. But in time as they grew up, they would have been," she turned back to Cruger and the Rangers, "You see, during the long years of warfare, it was also discovered that those that are subverted at a young age easier to control. And it becomes nearly impossible to break them free once they're older."

"Well, that sounds unpleasant," Syd said.

"So now what?" Sky asked.

"We have a bunch of children to take care of and Cordova has a criminal to deliver," Cruger stated. He turned briefly to look at her, "Are you sure you can hold him for the entire trip back?"

"That won't be necessary; my shuttle has some technology that will do that once we get him inside," she replied.

"Holding him, what do you mean by that?" Jack asked.

"I've got him blocked for now. He's not going to be waking up or doing much of anything for a while," she responded.

"And how long can you hold that for?" Syd stated.

"As long as is necessary," she glanced briefly at Bridge, "I've also got a little bit of help."

The other Rangers turned to look at him, astounded. He shrugged and looked slightly sheepish.

------------------------

The Rangers saw to it that Cordova's prisoner was secured aboard her shuttle. As they walked out, she turned and entered a set of commands into the controls. She stepped out and the door slid closed behind her. She sighed once it was completely closed.

"Finally," she commented.

"Are you okay?" Syd asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied, "Thank you. Just a little tired."

"You'll be alright though?" Z asked.

She nodded briefly, "I'll be here for a few more minutes to speak with Dr. Manx. I will have recovered some strength in that time," she looked at Bridge, "Thank you."

He waved vaguely at her, blinking as if he was slightly disoriented, "No problem."

Syd stared at him curiously. "So wait just a second here. How come Bridge can do all these weird kinds of things all of a sudden?"

The other Rangers glanced at Bridge.

"Because I showed him," Cordova replied.

The Rangers looked back at her.

"And you did that exactly how?" Jack asked.

"Yah, we didn't see any…" Sky started.

She tapped her forehead lightly and winked at the Rangers.

Z shook her head slightly, "Never mind. I don't think I really want to know."

"Yah, the idea of being inside Bridge's head, is just…scary," Syd added.

"Hey!" Bridge protested, "I'm not that bad. Jack even told me so."

Jack shot him a confused look. "I don't ever remember saying anything like that."

"But you did," Bridge pointed a finger up in the air, "When you were down in the cell block; talking to me."

Jack looked surprised, "You remember all that? But you were being controlled at that time. I thought that…"

"I may have been under someone else's control, but I still heard everything you guys said. I also remember everything that happened. Oh wait…" he paused and looked slightly disturbed for a moment. He glanced over at Syd, "Syd, I…"

"Its okay, Bridge. It wasn't you. I don't hold you responsible," Syd replied, "Besides, it's not like you hurt me or anything."

"But I could have," Bridge continued, looking more distraught, "In fact, I was supposed to."

"Let it go, Bridge. Like Syd said, it wasn't you," Sky told him.

Bridge only nodded his head briefly and fell quiet.

"And unfortunately, I can't do anything about that," Cordova said quietly, "We may be able to influence others' actions, but we can't take away someone's memories. I'm so sorry, Bridge. I wish there was something I could for you."

He shrugged slightly, "It's okay. You've done enough already."

"So what is going to happen to those children?" Cordova asked the Rangers.

"They've been placed in safe homes across the city," Z replied, "In fact, I just heard that a couple of them have been adopted already."

"That's good news," Jack stated.

"Yes, it is. I'm so sorry about all of this," Cordova told them, "I wish there was something I could have done sooner…"

"Hey," Jack cut her off, "just like Sky told Bridge, let it go. It wasn't your fault."

She smiled slightly at the Rangers "Thank you."

"No problem. You should come back and visit us sometime," Syd said.

"Yah, you could give Bridge more pointers that way," Z added.

Bridge just shot her a look and waved an admonishing finger at her.

Cordova tilted her head slightly as she looked at Bridge's hand. "Bridge?"

He turned to look at her.

"Why did you put your gloves back on?" she asked.

Bridge gave her a curious look, "Because I need them?"

Cordova straightened her head back up, "Actually, you don't."

Bridge's eyebrows shot up, "Really?" he glanced down at his gloved hands.

The Andiloran took a step towards him. "That psychic block that I put there?" Bridge nodded slightly. "It's permanent. You won't ever have anyone else get inside your head unless you want them to. It also works in the opposite direction. You can stop your powers from getting out."

Bridge looked surprised, "Seriously?"

She nodded slightly at him.

Bridge brought his right hand up to stare at it for a moment before slipping off the glove. He glanced at the other Rangers, "Anyone want to give it a try?"

"Uh…" Jack started. The others began to mumble various noises of protest as Jack continued, "maybe some other time. Like when you haven't been keeping some guy locked up just by using your head."

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. No copyright infringement is intended**___


End file.
